The Slayer
by Metallica1862
Summary: Just when the Cullens have grown used to the peace and quiet of their normal every day lives, a strange arrival pays them a visit. Between Mother Nature's wrath and the arrival of a Slayer, their lives are once again pushed into turmoil. Can the Cullen Coven figure out the mystery behind this Slayer and her Vampire husband or will they too succumb to an open hell-mouth...
1. Wrath

Wrath

_(Carlisle's POV)_

"Jasper, Emmett, I take it your feeding trip went well?" I questioned as the boys made their way into the yard from the forest beyond. It was unusual to see them feed together without their respective mates but with both Rose and Alice recovering from wounds they received during a battle with a rogue who had ventured onto Quileute lands to feed, the boys had been doing much without them of late.

"Forest was overly quiet this evening," Emmett answered picking up a large branch that had been downed in last evening's storm and easily pitching it to the side of the yard out of the way of Reneseme and Serrissa's rope swing and the staircase that led up into the canopy where their house in the trees was located.

Jasper shook his head, "The River was swollen at least a two or three feet over its banks and full of snares. Even the pack would find crossing it difficult." He studied the dangerous grey of the overcast sky. Even the colors of dusk were being blotted out by the wind driven blanket of deep, rain laden clouds. "There is rain in the air, Mother Nature is aggravated but for what reason I am not certain."

"Full moon tonight, "I revealed helping Emmett and Jasper remove the rest of the downed branches from what was our yard. I watched Emmett as he scaled the rope ladder up into the kids' tree house to be sure that its roof had not taken damage. "All okay?"

"Yeah, there's some minor damage to the shutters over the windows but nothing major." He answered easily sliding down to the ground once more. We all turned as the sound of the second floor veranda doors opening caught our attention.

"Nessie," My expression turned concerned as I noticed the flush of her cheeks and the tears that were welled up in her eyes. She hesitated briefly before rushing down the stairs into my arms. "What's wrong?"

"Grandpa, a tree fell last night during the storm and landed on mom and dad's bedroom and some of mine too. Mom hasn't been feeling well since. Dad says part of the limb hit her in the hip and part of her tummy. He says it might have injured my baby sister." She embraced me then, hugging me tight. Tears began to slip from her eyes to stain her already flushed cheeks with a dirty film. "Where is Serrissa?

"Serrissa and Kailin are most likely in the kitchen with your grandma. Last I checked they were helping Grandma bake some cookies."

Nessie gave a nod, "Grandpa, will you make sure Mom and my baby sister are going to be okay?"

"Of course," I answered hugging her to me and masking my own rising concern, "Now go find your Grandma and tell your Dad to be sure the extra rooms are set up for you guys to stay over here until we can get the cottage repaired." She gave a nod, giving me one last hug before going back up the stairs to the veranda and back into the house.

"Might as well wait until this weather clears before we try to repair the cottage, as the way it's looking we're in for more storms," Emmett admitted studying the ever blackening sky. It was already beginning to rain as they finished the chores in the yard and headed for the house. Lightning began crackling overhead as the storms tracked directly over the top of them.

_"Now you shall both perish," There was scraping of metal on metal as Kale drew his dagger and moved to finish them both. _

_ "No!" She struggled to get to her feet in time to defend herself and her companion against further injury or worse death. Her head swam and her vision tunneled as standing sent a barrage of shooting pain rocketing across her forehead and into her temples. _

_ His hand entangled in her hair and there was sharp pain in her shoulder and then her ribcage. She collapsed, unable to move to help her companion as the dagger's blood-covered blade entered his thigh and then his side just below his ribs._

_ "Your daughter is now mine." The words faded as the deafness of unconsciousness overwhelmed her and she sank into never ending, paralyzing blackness…_

_(Carlisle's POV)_

"Serrissa, Kailin," Jasper called as he entered the kitchen with Nessie in tow.

"Daddy," The twins called climbing down from their places at the bar and rushing to embrace him, slathering his khaki pants with chocolate cookie dough.

"You two look like you've been eating more than you've been making," He muttered hugging them both. "Serrissa, Nessie was looking for you." He took the damp dishrag from the bar and wiped the worst of the fingerprints from his pants receiving a soft giggle from his daughter in response to the brown ringed wet spots that remained.

"Oh," She smiled as her gaze met with Nessie's, "Hi-ya Ness, what's wrong?"

"Hey-ya Ness," Kailin greeted, his words coming almost on top of his sister's.

"My Mom and my baby sister were hurt in the storm last night."

"Oh, sorry about that but don't worry, Grandpa is the greatest, he'll make them all better." Kailin assured as he and his sister took her hand and led her over to the bar, "Want to help? We're making chocolate cookies with Grandma."

"Okay," She took a spoon from Esme and reluctantly tried to put her fears aside and help Kailin and Serrissa make cookies, even though in the back of her mind she was worried about the well-being of her mom and her unborn baby sister.

There was a crack of lightning close in to the house causing the lights to flicker. The resulting thunderclap was enough to rattle the windows. "The weather is really getting nasty out there," Edward remarked as he entered the kitchen to check on his daughter.

"Sounds like it's beginning to hail," Esme agreed turning briefly to look out the window at the sheets of rain now pounding against the glass. "Edward, how are Bella and the baby?"

"Carlisle managed to get the contractions stopped. The baby as far he can tell seems to be fine for now. Bella's sore but her condition is stable at least for the time being."

"See Nessie, I told you Grandpa is the greatest," Kailin interrupted the conversation, a smile spread across his expression. He reached into his bowl of dough, took a dab on the end of his finger, and put his finger to Nessie's nose.

"You guys," Esme insisted reaching for a dishtowel. She watched the smile spread across Nessie's face as she blotted the chocolate from her nose and licked it from her fingers.

"Yummy," She giggled then, the fun of playing with the cookie dough drowning out all of her previous concerns.

Another crack of lightning ensued and all three kids let off terrified screams.

"It's okay it's just noise," Edward soothed moving to help Esme and the kids finish the cookies. Hopefully they would be cooked before the storm knocked out the power.

"You, Bella and Nessie are welcome to stay as long as you need. We still have extra rooms even with the addition of the twins." Esme's concern for her son and his family was very obvious in her tone as she put the last sheet of cookies in the oven.

Edward nodded, "Hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow and I can begin the process of rebuilding the cottage. I've considered just starting over in a different location on the opposite side of the yard as there is more shelter from forest canopy and less dead or damaged trees to worry with."

"It's your choice," She agreed her gaze focusing upon him then, "Just be sure to enlist the help of your brothers, that's a big a job to do alone." Esme insisted as Emmett entered the kitchen. "Emmett, you and Jasper be sure to help Edward rebuild the cottage please."

"No problem," Emmett agreed nodding in greeting. He immediately noticed the gauntness of Edward's features, a sure sign that he had not been able to feed properly or possibly at all before the storms. "If you don't feed soon, you're going to waste away."

"As soon as this weather lets up, I plan to feed," He insisted watching his daughter and Jasper's twins as they finished eating the leftover dough from the mixing bowls and the beaters.

"There is always stored supply if you need it before the storms subside," I reminded entering the kitchen to observe the storm that was now raging outside from the windows above the sink. "This doesn't look to be letting up any time soon." I studied Mother Nature's wrath as hail the size of golf balls began striking the windows. "Come, let's move away from these windows," I motioned everyone from the kitchen into the living room where there would be less chance of someone, especially the kids, being injured should a window be shattered by the hail.


	2. Arrival

_Arrival_

Wet against her face and the chill of the wind sending her injured body into harsh trembling spasms was the first thing she noticed as her awareness returned. She blinked her eyes letting her blurred gaze move across the immediate area. It was then that she realized she was laying in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Carefully, she shifted her position, the sudden intense pain almost sinking her back into the deep blackness of unconsciousness.

Her companion lay not meters from her in a pool of dark blood, and it was plainly obvious that he was unconscious and in dire condition. His features were gaunt and as she studied him, she realized that he wore heavy manacles upon his wrists and ankles and his hands were secured behind him as he lay there with his face partially submerged in a grassy puddle.

She struggled weakly to reach him—fought to figure out their location-knowing that if they both didn't find help soon, neither of them would survive this ordeal to tell the story to their daughter. Angelica would not survive in this world as an orphan. '_What happened to her? 'Everything is so vague.' _ _Did he kill her? I can't remember…'_ She squeezed her eyes shut against the brutal throbbing inside her skull briefly before once again attempting to make heads or tails of their surroundings. She scanned the area, her vision blurred enough that everything seemed as if it was shrouded in fog. _'Got to find help,' _the sheeting rain broke for a split second allowing her to catch a faint glimpse of a glow in the near distance. Dragging herself to her knees, despite the excruciating pain, and taking hold of her companion's shirt collar, she began crawling in the direction of the light…

"Grandpa," Nessie tapped Carlisle on the arm as he passed behind her. She stood at the door watching the hailstones as they bounced from the steps back into the yard. "Look," She pointed to the ground at the base of the steps. The hailstones had accumulated there like a pile of golf balls waiting to be gathered into a bag.

"I see that," He studied the clouds watching for any signs of rotation that might signify something far worse than hail.

Another bright flash of lightning, the crackling pop sending Serrissa and Kailin bolting into their father's lap, their bodies nearly bumping against their mom who had managed to make her way up from the basement where the medical center was located and into to the living room.

"Careful you two, I don't need any more injuries," Alice insisted putting her arm around her daughter and pulling her close as Jasper did the same with his son. "It's not fit for man or beast outside this night," She muttered, the wrath of Mother Nature something that she had grown quite accustomed to out of past experiences.

"There is more than one storm and none of them are moving very…"

Nessie's blood curdling scream drowned out Carlisle's assessment. She stumbled away from her vantage point at the door, tripping over the rug and into his knees before landing on her rump on the floor.

"Nessie, what's the…"

"A stranger is out there," She motioned toward the door. "I saw…" she pointed again as a hand raised from the steps to softly tap against the door before disappearing once more in the sheeting rain.

"Go to Uncle Emmett," Carlisle ordered unlocking the door. He cautiously stepped out onto the porch…

"Please, we're in need of…" A young woman, covered in blood and soaking wet knelt on the steps, her hand gripping the collar of a male whom was obviously unconscious. Both looked as though they had been beaten as their tattered clothes were covered in bloody, mud-encrusted stains. "We…" The woman's voice faded as her strength waned, her eyes blinking raggedly several times before she sank into a lifeless heap at the crest of the stairs.

"Edward, Jasper, come give me a hand," Carlisle called kneeling to assess the injuries to the two strangers. Both had been stabbed multiple times, the wounds still relatively fresh and hemorrhaging profusely. "Let's get them to the basement." He ordered as his sons moved to carry out his command.

Jasper studied the male's features, his expression growing suddenly concerned, "Carlisle, he's not human." He lifted the unconscious victim into his arms. "Edward, is she…?" He questioned as they brought them inside and headed toward the basement.

"Seems to be, although her scent is a bit odd," Edward answered as Carlisle motioned for his sons to place their unconscious, bleeding cargo down on separate beds. "Take the male, I'll take her," He insisted as Carlisle, with his son's help began the task of attempting to save their lives…

_(Edward's POV)_

I watched as Carlisle worked feverishly to get the male stabilized enough that he could surgically repair the internal damage caused by the multiple puncture wounds. As I studied him, I realized, as Jasper had before, that he was far from human, in fact he was living undead—Vampire—and one of unknown origins. "He's vampire," I muttered catching a glimpse of his fangs briefly as Carlisle suctioned the debris and water from his throat and placed a tube in his nose.

With Jasper's help, we had managed to free both victims from the chains and manacles they had been wearing and as I placed an activated oxygen mask over the female's mouth and nose, I realized just how dangerous this situation could be. We knew nothing about these two strangers or what had occurred to leave them in our yard with such grievous wounds. Just the mounting risk of the unknown was enough to set my nerves on edge even if neither of them were in any condition to cause harm to anyone.

"She's beginning to come around," Jasper pushed the dirty, wet hair back from her face as I finished securing and starting an IV, making sure that her limbs were held in a neutral position on the bed with soft, cloth restraints.

"Easy," I soothed as her awareness flickered and she began to react to the pain emanating from her wounds. Her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze, glassy and unfocused, made one sweep of her surroundings before settling on me. "You're safe, just keep still." I placed a cold pack on the swollen contusion on her forehead knowing without testing her vision that she was suffering from, at the very least, a moderate concussion.

She tried to speak, her voice fading before she could form the words. Her expression turned confused and her color paled in response to the sudden stabbing pains that radiated across her chest. "I…can't…" She sucked in a heavy gasp of air, her breathing ragged and shallow.

"Shhh, hang on don't talk," I ordered immediately securing the oxygen mask to her face. "Keep her calm and distracted." I motioned for my brother to take her hand as I began the task of placing a tube in her chest in an effort to stabilize her breathing enough that she could withstand surgery to repair the puncture to her chest and the damage to her ribcage and shoulder.

"Just focus on me," Jasper soothed keeping her attention and utilizing his gift to send waves of calm across her. "Can you whisper to me your name?" He questioned leaning in close so that she would not have to strain or make any sound louder than the faintest of whispers. He kept an eye on her lips, even through the clear plastic of the oxygen mask; he would be able to decipher her answer even if she was only able to mime it.

She flinched ever-so-slightly as medication was injected into her chest around the now secured tube. Her breathing immediately eased, as the excess air was removed from her chest cavity and her lung was no longer collapsed. "Buffy and…" Her gaze shifted to the male whom she had been trying to pull to safety when she collapsed on the steps, "that's Angel, he's my…husband…we…" Her breath faded along with her awareness as the strain of trying to talk drained what little strength she had left.

"Buffy, I'm going to put you to sleep now so that your injuries can be repaired," I revealed injecting medication into the IV. She didn't acknowledge my warning, nor was she strong enough to fight against the anesthetic.

"How's the other that she called Angel?" I asked as I began surgically repairing the internal damage caused by the puncture wounds.

"Extremely weak from loss of blood and lack of proper sustenance, his condition for now is relatively stable," Carlisle answered checking the equipment and the active feeding that Angel was now receiving before moving to help me. "The continuous flow of medication will keep him lethargic and in and out of pseudo-sleep for the next couple days."

"Gives us a chance to figure out who they are and why they were in our yard," Jasper muttered watching Angel's awareness flicker beneath the medication. "And whatever it is, we need to find out before the Volturi do or else we may have more problems than we've solved by saving them."


	3. Rising Dawn

_Rising Dawn_

(The Next Day)

"Angelica," She mumbled shifting restlessly, her awareness fluttering between total unconsciousness and a vague awareness of the fact that motion caused her pain but she was no longer cold and wet. Her body felt heavy and the more she fought against the sleepiness, the more the numbness in her muscles seemed to strengthen. She shook her head, becoming aware of the slight pressure against her cheeks and the cool air in her face. With great effort she forced her eyes open and allowed her horribly blurred gaze to slowly sweep the room. "Angelica?" She questioned noticing the blurry child-like figure standing close to the bedside.

"Who is Angelica?" Renesemee questioned curiously.

The more she tried to force her vision to focus the stronger the pounding in her head became to the point that tears began pooling at the corners of her eyes, "Angelica is my daughter," she whispered feeling the color all but drain from her face in response to the overwhelming pain that had started in her head and now seemed to be all over.

"Oh, why is she not here with you?" She reached up and gently put her hand against Buffy's arm, the touch enough to calm the storm of tears that had flooded down Buffy's cheeks around the oxygen mask in response to the overwhelming pain and the fact that her vision was still unfocused and growing blurrier by the moment.

"I'm…I can't…" Her words faded as she grew more and more distressed by the intensity of the pain and the fact that she couldn't get her vision to focus. "Who are you?" She managed, the calming effect of Renesemee's touch easing enough of her distress that she could at least breathe a bit easier.

"My name is Renesemee Carlie Cullen but everybody just calls me Nessie. What's your name?"

"Buffy, where am I? I can't…"

"We're in my Grandpa and Grandma's home," Renesemee answered, "And you are hurt so Grandpa and my Dad are taking care of you and the one you came here with. Don't worry, you are very safe." She soothed turning at the sound of footsteps on the basement stairs.

"Are you sure about that?" She questioned her voice strained and fading beneath the hissing of the oxygen.

"Yes," Nessie answered listening as the footsteps grew ever closer. "Who is the one you came with? What's his name?"

"Angel, he's my husband. Angelica, where is she is she…?"

"Renesemee, how did you end up down here?" The footsteps had been Carlisle's and his voice was enough to not only get Nessie's attention but also Buffy's. She froze and if she could have disappeared into the mattress of her hospital bed she would have.

"Grandpa, I was only visiting," Nessie gave Buffy's arm a gentle squeeze, turning focus back to her briefly, "I don't know where Angelica is, I haven't seen her, I'm sorry." She whispered moving to the side as Carlisle motioned her out of the way.

"Of course you were," He assured carefully studying the monitors and examining Buffy, "You and your companion took quite a beating, do you remember what happened?" He questioned waving his pen light in front of her eyes.

Buffy blinked frantically trying to get her vision to focus to what she thought was a light. "I…everything is really blurry and…" She sucked in a ragged breath in response to the horrible throbbing pain radiating inside her skull. She hurt all over but of all of the pain her head hurt the worst. "We were ambushed by Kale and…" It was obvious that her memory and her vision had been temporarily affected.

"Okay, just relax," Carlisle soothed examining the swollen contusions, one on her forehead and one near the back of her head on the right side. "I'm going to start you on some anti-inflammatory medication which should help your vision to return."

She listened, turning slightly toward the sound of his movements as he retrieved the medications and returned to her bedside. He added another set of bags to the IV and reset the drip sequence. "Pain…"Her voice faded in response to the pain emanating from her head and the wounds she'd sustained during the battle with Kale. "Angel is he…Angelica where is she, is she…"

"Easy, calm down," Carlisle soothed, "Your companion is being taken care of," He injected the contents of a syringe into the IV port in her arm. "The pain should begin to ease with the medication. You need to rest so that your injuries will continue to heal."

"Angelica," She insisted, tears welling up in her eyes as the prospect of losing her daughter became foremost in her mind. "I have to…"

Carlisle looked down to find Nessie's hand against his arm. In her eyes, he could see that she already knew who Angelica was and why Buffy was so adamant about her being alive and unharmed. "Angelica is her daughter," Nessie revealed knowing without further explanation that her Grandpa could gather the rest of the story. "Something isn't right, they are here with us but where is Angelica?"

"I'm not sure Ness, but we will find her okay?" He questioned giving his granddaughter a hug in an effort to comfort her sudden concern for the two strangers that were now in their midst.

"Right," Nessie answered watching Carlisle clean and redress Buffy's wounds and check the equipment surrounding her.

The medication had finally taken effect and diminished her pain and relaxed her muscles enough that she could rest. He placed his hand against her shoulder; the pressure bringing her back to awareness briefly from having dozed in response to the sleepy effect of the medications. Once he was certain that he had her attention enough that she would remember what he said, he spoke, "Rest for now, once you've gained some strength and aren't in so much pain, we will talk more about the reason you're here and the disappearance of your daughter."

Buffy managed a nod in agreement before drifting once again into a comfortable sleep. "Is she going to be okay, Grandpa?" Nessie questioned as Carlisle checked the monitors one more time before taking her by the hand.

"She needs to rest but I see no reason why she wouldn't be. You," He lifted Nessie into his arms, "Don't worry, we're going to take care of them and find out why they are here and what has happened to bring them here, deal?"

Renesemee smiled, "Deal." She agreed as they moved back up the stairs toward the main part of the house.

_You've been lied to_

_Just to rape you of your sight_

_And now they have the nerve_

_To tell you how to feel (feel)_

_So sedated as they_

_Medicate your brain_

_And while you slowly_

_Go insane they tell you_

"_Given with the best intentions_

_Help you with your complications"_

(Lyrics to Song: Nightmare: Artist: Avenged Sevenfold)

"Giles, I think we may have a problem!" Willow's voice was raspy as she carefully eased herself into a sitting position on the floor of the crypt. Clouds of dust infused smoke filled the air making breathing or talking without bursting into an unrelenting coughing fit almost impossible. She rubbed her face with the sleeve of her shirt and let her gaze filter around the area.

"Willow, Xander, are you two okay?" Giles questioned rushing into the anteroom from the corridor just beyond. "What happened?"

"The portal slammed shut," Tears began to stain Willow's bruised and dirty cheeks as she realized that they had failed to save Buffy, Angel and Angelica from Kale's clutches. "We lost them and if we don't do something soon, we're going to have even bigger problems. Kale's threatening to open the Inner Gate."

"We will find them, for now we must return to the library," Giles gently rolled an unconscious Xander onto his back. His face was covered in grime and his shirt was torn in several places, exposing bloody cuts to the unsanitary conditions of the Marseaux Crypt. It was the only crypt within a hundred miles that held the proper artifacts to open the gates to the Plane of Souls and also Hell—the place where Kale, the Hunter, took all of his victims to be tortured before they were permanently destroyed.

"This means that Kale will have access to the Hell Mouth and the portals to every other plane and lay line center around the world. Who knows where he might've taken them that is if he didn't…" She couldn't even finish the sentence; just the thought was enough to curdle her stomach. "What are we going to do? We can't fight the entirety of hell without Buffy; we'll be annihilated for sure."

"We'll figure it out back at the library, come on," Giles insisted lifting Xander's limp form into his arms as Willow rose to her feet, a bit woozy, and followed him out the way they had entered…

"Just one question," Oz studied his girlfriend and the others as they entered Giles' office in the library, "Were you trying to provide Mike Tyson a practice round?"

"No," Willow answered as Giles laid Xander down on the couch and handed her an ice pack. "We lost Kale." She insisted pulling a chair over next to Xander and sitting down. She wrapped the icepack in a towel and placed it across his forehead where a nice sized goose egg had already formed.

"Okay, so," Oz looked around, realizing at that point that Buffy, Angel and Angelica had not returned with them. "So where's…" His question faded as his gaze settled on Willow. Her expression provided him an answer without her even needing to explain. "Oh shit, that's not good."

Willow shook her head, "No and what's worse is that Kale now has access to not only Hell but the Plane of Souls as well. Who knows where he took them that is if they are still even…"

"Don't say that, Buffy won't go down without a fight," He shook his head, the sound of faint rustling catching his attention. Xander was finally beginning to slowly regain consciousness after taking a hard blow to the head, "So now what?"

"We find Buffy and the others before Kale opens the Inner Gate." Giles answered before anyone else could even find their voice. "We must work quickly as I don't think we have much time."


	4. Kale

_Kale_

"Ah, my sweet little girl, your parents are such fools to believe that I would just allow for escape without getting what I want," He goaded as he tugged the chains, pulling Angelica from the bed where she was held captive and over to where he could put his hand on her face.

Her skin was like porcelain, her cheeks slightly flushed in pink only because she had been weeping for her parents since she had been taken captive only yesterday. She flinched away as he caressed her face with his hand, his touch making her lips tremble in fear. "When my Mom and Dad find you, you will be destroyed." She scolded her voice trembling in response to his touch and her own distress at being held against her will.

His laugh filled the room, echoing off the walls like thunder rumbling across the sky. "How very touching," He mused patting her cheek with a firm hand. "Your parents will die before they ever find you, my dear." A morbid smile crept into his expression as her eyes began to once again pool with tears and the trembling of her lip grew in intensity. "You might as well get used to the idea that you are now an orphan and your future will be as my slave."

"No," She recoiled then yanking her chains away from his grasp and stepping back out of his reach. "My Mom and Dad won't die, they will come for me and when they do it is you who will be destroyed." Her voice in that instant stopped trembling and a fire grew in her eyes. She closed the doors to her mind, projected her anger into a striking motion and gave a firm shove, the impact of which startled him enough that the moving chains wrapped around his feet sending him to the ground. "Leave me alone!" She pulled the chains free and moved back to her place on the bed.

He rose to his feet, the realization that her strike had burned a long, fiery blister across his face, not hitting him until after he had retaliated—moving to strike her face hard with his hand.

She gasped but reacted in no other way other than to push him away once more. "Leave me alone!" Her fiery, tear riddled gaze locked with his. Deep, deep down inside she was terrified but she would never let him see her fear. She knew that her parents weren't dead and that every word Kale the demon hybrid would speak to her during her captivity here would be sugar-coated lies to try and win her favor. She might only be eleven years old in human years but because she was born from a union of The Slayer and her Vampire husband, she was far older in mental years than Kale gave her credit for. Her name wasn't Angelica Joyce Summers for nothing.

"Easy Xander," Willow insisted holding the icepack against his forehead despite the fact that he was restlessly trying to shift his head away from the cold. "You have a huge goose egg on your forehead be still." She insisted grabbing his arm as he tried to push the ice-pack away and stop the horrible pounding pain radiating inside his skull.

He moaned, tugging against her hand as he struggled to push away the blackness that seemed to be engulfing him. Once again he restlessly shook his head and shifted his position in an attempt to force away the blackness. His eyes fluttered, weighed down with the heaviness of unconsciousness and the brutal pain in his head.

"Relax, you're going to make your concussion worse," She pressed adjusting the position of the ice pack and rubbing his shoulder in an effort to quiet his restlessness. "And it certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you probably have a concussion."

"Still unconscious?" Giles questioned pulling the step ladder along one of the shelves as he stood on the top rung in an effort to retrieve the research book that he needed. He paused only briefly to watch Willow fight with Xander's restless form about the ice pack.

"Yeah, I have a feeling he's going to be sicker than a dog when he comes to, being that he won't relax." She admitted holding his arm down just to keep him from pushing the ice pack away from the swollen knot on his forehead. "Oz, could you hold his arms down. He's never going to come to if he won't leave the icepack alone long enough for it to do its job."

"Sure," Oz agreed taking Xander's other arm and gently forcing it to remain at his side.

"If he doesn't regain consciousness within the next half an hour or so then it will be best to have him transported to the hospital." Giles reminded watching Willow take care of Xander briefly before returning to his search.

"Are you having any luck with the research on Kale?" She questioned as Xander once again became restless as he tried to force himself awake.

Giles continued his search for texts pulling several of the old tomes from the top of the shelves. "The information is sparse but I'm almost positive that there will be more in one of these books." He added to the stack of books sitting on the top rung of the ladder.  
"There has to be some helpful information somewhere regarding Kale, I mean we've accumulated information on every other non-human entity that could possibly exist. He simply has to be in one of those categories, I mean geesh..." She threw up her hands then, letting the ice pack rest upon Xander's forehead as it was melted enough now to conform to the shape of his skull.

"Well, he doesn't have to be per say but the point is a valid one nonetheless." Giles reminded finally acquiring enough books in his stack that he felt it time to come down off of the step ladder and go back to his desk to peruse through all of his chosen tomes.

"Who has to be in what category and what is going on here?" A voice questioned from the doorway to the restricted section of the library.

"Cordie, nice of you to just invite yourself into the conversation unannounced. You do realize that showing up unannounced is a good way to end up impaled on a wooden stake right?" Oz mused shrugging off the condescending roll of the eyes that he received from her in response.

"Bite off dog," She retorted allowing the brutal sarcasm to hang dripping in the air like a cold drizzle. "Not a one of you are deaf…" She paused to flick her hair back off her shoulder, "It's not like I teleported here out of the clear blue." Her expression turned questioning as she awaited someone to provide an answer to her question.

"Can you at least pretend to be useful without being a grumpy like a troll? We've got a problem that is going to require everyone working together." Willow answered her gaze coming full on Cordelia.

"Maybe if I knew the problem, unlike some I can't read minds."

"Kale has taken Buffy, Angel and Angelica to some place unknown and he has the keys not only to the Gates of Hell but also the Plane of Souls. Is that problem enough for you, Cordie?" Oz questioned not even wasting the time to try and explain the minor details figuring it was more a waste of air and effort than it was worth at this point.

"Oh well I…" Cordelia's expression softened slightly as the revelation sank in and she realized that everyone else was just staring at her as if she'd grown green horns from her forehead. Her gaze swept the room once before she moved to sit down on the sofa next to Xander. "What happened to him?"

"He bumped his head and he probably has a concussion and it happened because Kale slammed the portal shut before we could rescue Buffy, Angel and Angelica and now there's no telling where he has taken them." Willow sucked in a deep breath as she had spoken the entirety of those details without breathing at all. "So have you put your troll back in the box now so we can get to the task of finding the others and getting rid of Kale?"

"Well yeah," She answered rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I am not a troll and furthermore I resent that comment."

"Resent it then because you have a troll of an attitude sometimes," Oz admitted his gaze shifting to the couch as Xander pulled his arm free of Oz's grip. "Welcome back to reality," He watched as Xander carefully rubbed his eyes in an effort to get his vision to focus.

"Thanks…I think…" He muttered gently massaging his temples and resisting the urge to sit up or touch his forehead. "My head feels like somebody used it as a bass drum."

"A concussion will do that," Cordelia muttered rather unsympathetically. "Stop whining, you're not dying."

"Cordelia, remember you agreed to put the troll away." Willow reminded, "Besides the bickering sure isn't going to help his headache or help us find the others so…"She turned then as Giles brought the mass of tomes out to the big table and placed them in its center—a signal that he wanted them to make themselves useful and begin searching for pertinent information on Kale. She motioned toward the table as he approached to sit down in one of the chairs. "No time like the present, I will see what I can find on the web."

"Everyone else can begin with these tomes," Giles commanded shaking his head at Xander. "You just rest for now. I had rather you take it easy and not force your eyes to focus so soon after being unconscious."

Xander gave a nod, relaxing back into the sofa and putting the refreshed icepack back against the still swollen knot on his forehead. Everyone else took a seat and began the long task of solving the mystery that was Kale.


	5. Sight

_Sight_

The numbness of deep sleep slowly lifted, allowing her to at least shift her limbs even if it allowed for nothing else. She moaned as the motion brought pain that radiated throughout her body. Her entire body felt overly weak and she had no idea how long she had slept. The only thing she could really remember was the cold of his touch and the burning pain that preceded the overwhelming fog of sleep that had finally eased her pain and claimed her awareness. The cool air in her face, feeble coughing and the fact that her mouth felt as though it had been filled with sticky cotton were sensations that told her she was still alive. She tried to rub her face only to find her attempt at concentrated movement thwarted by the weak, numbness that continued to overpower her limbs.

_'Angel and Angelica, I have to focus. I have to find them. I have to wake up and find them.'_ She took a deep breath. She could feel the fog of sleep slowly diminishing and the overall numbness also beginning to fade, leaving her to suffer with the fiery stabbing pain emanating from deep in her chest. For what seemed like a long time she dozed on the brink of consciousness, the fog seeming to radiate in waves that prevented her from opening her eyes. Her head was now throbbing as the fog finally dissipated enough for her eyes to flutter open. "Angel…" Her voice mostly air faded into nothingness before she could finish calling their names. She blinked frantically, her vision seeming to fade in and out as if she was moving in and out of a series of pitch black tunnels. Her gaze slowly swept the room, picking up mostly blurred details interspersed with harsh white light and the normal imagery that came with proper vision. "Angel…where is…Angelica…"As the fear of loss rose within her so did the unrelenting pain in her chest in response to the use of her voice.

There was a bed next to hers, several feet away but as far as she could tell it was empty with the linens seeming undisturbed. Her vision faltered, going totally black as she tried feebly to free herself from her own bed in an effort to find her loved ones.

"Whoa, easy there," A voice insisted as a cold hand came to rest upon her shoulder. "Too much movement right now and you'll end up back in surgery. Those injuries need time to heal."

"Angel?" She questioned her voice whispery soft in response to the pain that the concentrated effort had sparked in her chest and shoulder. "Where's Angelica, I have to find…" Her voice faded along with her strength and she turned her blinded gaze toward the origin of the voice.

"Relax; Angel is upstairs with my family. Let's get you settled again and comfortable, then we'll discuss your situation." She could feel cold pressure as the person examined her to be sure she had not reinjured herself. She listened as the IVs were adjusted and new bags of medication and fluid were put in place. "Now then, it is Buffy right?"

"Yeah, is Angel…where's Angelica?" Her voice was barely audible but the panic was more than evident as Edward took a seat in the chair next to her bed. The concentrated effort of trying to find her loved ones had left her weak and out of breath as she let herself semi-relax back against the pillows, straining to listen for any sound that might suggest that he was still nearby.

"Angel is recovering. He is still quite weak and very sore but well enough to be moving around at least for a short time. As for Angelica, I'm not sure I…" He paused briefly to adjust the flow of oxygen so that she would not have to labor so much to breathe and also examine the contusions on her head. "Buffy, you are presenting symptoms that would suggest that you are still having vision problems, are you able to see me?"

"No, just blackness," She answered her voice wavering slightly, "My vision drifts in and out, I…" She took a heavy breath and it was apparent that she was in a great deal of pain as her breathing was overly quick and shallow. "Angelica, is she…I have to…" She tried to sit up in an effort to find her daughter. Dizziness overwhelmed her and the pain in her chest increased to the point that her attempt failed. She sank exhausted back against the pillows.

"Angelica is who?" Edward asked moving to take further measures to try and regulate her breathing. He listened to her chest with his stethoscope and examined her chest tube and its entrance point, realizing as her breathing slowly grew worse that her lung had once again partially collapsed.

"She is…" She sucked in a gasping breath, her breathing becoming so distressed that she was unable to finish her sentences, "My…daughter…Angelica…" Her voice faded completely into gasping breaths.

"Don't talk, just breath easy and slow," He coaxed injecting medication into the space around her chest tube and pausing to allow the numbing property to take affect before replacing the tube with one slightly larger to allow her lung to fully inflate once more. He adjusted the drip sequences on the IVs and made sure that she had a recent dose of pain medication in her system before once again taking a seat next to her. "Your daughter, Angelica is not here. Do you remember what happened that might have led to her disappearance?"

"We were ambushed by Kale, the hunter, and taken. He tried to destroy us but…" She let her voice fade as her memory of what had happened faltered. "I can't remember, it's all so vague…I…" Tears welled up in her eyes as her frustration was aggravated even more by her current situation and her inability to focus her vision. "Where am I? Who are…?" Her breath faded again as the apprehension of the unknown began to overwhelm her.

"Calm down, you and Angel are both safe here. My name is Edward Cullen and my family found you after you had crawled into our yard during the recent severe weather outbreak. You and your husband were both badly injured so we took you in and have been treating your injuries. You've been here approximately three days and are just now alert enough to be aware of your surroundings and your situation." He put his hand gently against her arm in an effort to calm her before she further aggravated her current condition.

She flinched, her breath hitching in her throat at his touch. The realization that she was possibly in the midst of a coven of undead setting the hairs on the back of her neck on edge and sending adrenaline spikes shooting down her spine. "You…You're not…get…" The tension of her muscles grew as the Slayer inside her fought to control what was to her a natural killing instinct toward any form of the undead.

"Whoa, just relax; no harm is going to come to you or Angel here." Edward soothed keeping his hand in place. He knew that the sudden realization had sparked the side of her that also created the abnormality in her scent. He knew that she wasn't just mortal human as she now knew that she was in the company of a Vampire.

"How do you figure, you're Vampire, there is no nice in their dictionary." She insisted the tension in her voice very apparent even though the medication had fully relaxed her muscles. She turned her head toward him, still unable to focus her vision enough to even make out his appearance.

"Vampire yes, but my family doesn't prey upon humans, we take our sustenance from the animals of this forest that surrounds us. My father, Carlisle Cullen is a physician and he was instrumental in preventing your death. We may be Vampire by nature but we are probably the most harmless coven of undead you will ever come across." He admitted chuckling in response to the dig rather than allowing it to bother him. "You are far from the usual mortal yourself, I have told you my family's secret, now you must tell me yours? I am already aware that your husband is also living undead, am I correct?"

"Yes, Angel is Vampire; he possesses a soul due to a curse put upon him by a band of gypsies and therefore doesn't prey on humans per say but takes sustenance from blood banks." She revealed pausing briefly in an effort to catch her breath before continuing. "The story of his creation is complicated. I am a Slayer, I have the power and ability to fight and destroy the undead and most other non mortal beings including demons, hell spawn, and a host of others. Vampires that feed only on animal blood eh? That's definitely a news story there."

He chuckled, "Well, it's truth. Carlisle, being the head of this coven, has held firm to that rule for many years now. It is the reason why our family is allowed to hunt and live upon sacred Indian lands." He watched her as the medication began to once again overwhelm her. "You need to rest. I'll make sure that Angel knows you're alert so that he can visit you. But for now, just relax and let the medication run its course. The more you sleep the quicker the anti-inflammatory will take the swelling down so that your vision will return. We will talk some more later."

She managed a nod before dozing into comfortable sleep. He adjusted the blankets covering her and checked the equipment and her chest tube once more before quietly leaving her to rest.


	6. New Blood

_New Blood_

(Angel's POV)

_We're here and now, but will we ever be again_

'_Cause I have found_

_All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade_

_Away again_

(Lyrics to Song: Shimmer: Artist: Fuel)

I stood at the window, staring out at the clearing and forest beyond, my mind mired in thoughts of recent events. I had never in all of my years as a member of the living undead encountered a coven of vampires, as they were calling themselves, well more like a family, that took no human life and seemed far different from myself or any others I had knowledge of. I wasn't certain but deep down I had hope that they might be able to help Buffy and I find and rescue our daughter and friends before the monster that was Kale, caused further detriment to the known world.

"Angel, are you okay?" A small voice questioned from somewhere nearby.

My muscles twitched, startled out of my thoughts, and I turned to find the youngest member of the Cullens standing near me, her face plastered with only the slightest of smiles. I grimaced as the act of making such quick movement set the still healing puncture wounds on my upper torso on fire. I felt what color I had gained drain from my face in response to the sudden wave of pain and weakness that came with the sudden motion.

"You should sit down," Ness insisted motioning me toward the nearest sofa and putting her hand against my arm in an effort to guide me. It was plainly obvious that even though she was young in vampire years, she was wise far beyond her age.

I moved and slowly sat down, the pain and weakness preventing me from any sudden motion. I smiled faintly placing my hand against her shoulder and squeezing my eyes shut against the fiery discomfort. "I think I'll survive." I admitted feeling the need to put my head back against the sofa as I leveled my half squinted gaze upon her. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go to Jake's? I thought I heard your Mom tell you to gather your stuff earlier." I pushed the thoughts of my own child and our own predicament into the background and tried to mask my concerns. There were few living undead that were truly gifted, as they were sometimes called, and I knew that at least one if not two members of this family knew my thoughts and feelings even though I was attempting to keep them to myself.

"All of my stuff is together," She admitted watching me intensely as I struggled to overcome what had turned out to be a lingering bout of pain and growing weakness. "You look like you need a friend. Buffy told me about your daughter being missing. My grandpa will tell my daddy and my aunts and uncles and we'll try and find her." She admitted, a reassuring smile now gracing her features, the tone of her voice confident in her family's ability to locate and rescue Angelica.

I nodded, unsure that even they would find her and wondering if I really wanted them risking their own existence just to find my daughter. "Is Buffy awake?" I questioned, the pain subsiding enough that I could at least focus even if I found myself too weak and still in to much discomfort to move from my current position.

"Not sure," She answered her expression growing concerned in response to my slowly worsening weakness and pain. "I know she's okay though but…" Her voice trailed into sudden silence and it was obvious even though I was far from focused that she had been distracted. There was what seemed like a long silence before another voice actually answered my question.

"Buffy is currently sleeping but her condition is stable and she is now alert enough for you to visit."

"Good news," I admitted my voice fading towards the end as I forced myself to remain at least somewhat focused through the overwhelming weakness and pain.

"Dad, where's grandpa?" Ness questioned embracing her father briefly before turning her concern back toward me. "He's not feeling well. I think he stood too long or maybe…" She released her embrace as Edward moved to gain further insight into my current condition.

"Ness, go find your grandpa for me," He motioned for her to do as she was told and she didn't hesitate but disappeared into another part of the house. I felt his hands as he carefully examined me and tensed in response to the fiery pain as he pressed against the two sutured wounds down low on the right side of my abdomen.

"Pain and weakness came on all of a sudden," I revealed grimacing as the discomfort seemed to come in waves that only exacerbated the overall weakness. The resulting lack of focus was enough that I had forgotten about the fact that I still had a feeding tube in my nose and my time outside of the medical center was limited to only short periods.

"It looks as though you've torn some internal sutures which are causing the pain, as for the weakness, you're in need of another feeding and the medication from it should ease the symptoms." Edward assured finishing the exam. "Do you think you can stand?" He questioned as Carlisle entered the room and moved to provide assistance.

I managed a tired shrug unable to focus through the weakness enough to really be aware of whether I still harbored enough strength to stand on my own.

"Edward, give me a hand," Carlisle insisted as he carefully helped me to my feet. "Easy, let's get you downstairs."

"But Buffy…, we have to find Angelica," I mumbled, my muscles tensing as the motion once again aggravated the pain. "It's…"

"One thing at a time, and first priority is getting your strength back," Carlisle assured, "Once you've had another medicated feeding you should feel much better and then we can talk about your daughter's predicament and you can visit Buffy."

…

"Really worried about the well being of their daughter isn't he?" Edward questioned watching Carlisle monitor the active feeding that I was now receiving as he worked to repair the torn sutures in my abdomen.

"Yes, whoever this Kale is, it seems as though he poses a great threat, maybe even greater than the Volturi." Carlisle agreed keeping a close eye on my condition as I drifted in and out of the pseudo-sleep brought about by the infusion of medicated blood.

"It's apparently not just their daughter that is missing, he mentioned friends of theirs that needed to be found as well." He admitted his concern for the situation growing ever more intense by the hour. Both Buffy and I had been in their midst almost four days and still they knew almost nothing about how or why they had appeared in the yard. The threat of both Kale, whom they had almost no information on, and the Volturi was growing by the hour. "If the Volturi get wind of this…"

"Most likely they are already aware that one vampire of unknown origin and one very gifted female are in our midst." Carlisle admitted placing a firm hand on my shoulder as I began to once more become fully aware of my surroundings.

"The one time when Aro doesn't need to know everything..." He muttered, "We couldn't possibly get that lucky." The rustling as I shifted my position and allowed my gaze to survey the room caught their attention, stopping the conversation in mid-stream.

"Relax, how do you feel?" Carlisle questioned keeping firm pressure against my shoulder in an effort to prevent further injury due to my sudden return to awareness.

I managed a nod, "How's Buffy?" I asked my voice scratchy and my words a bit slurred from the lingering grogginess.

"Still sleeping," Edward answered before Carlisle could find the words. "Buffy will be fine and as soon as your strength returns you're welcome to sit with her but for now just relax."

"Sure," I agreed relaxing back against the pillows and allowing Carlisle to examine me. "I'm still a bit weak but in no pain."

"The lingering weakness is normal. For now you need to remain here until the medication that I'm currently giving you finishes. Once the treatment is complete and you have regained your strength then you can be out of bed once more." Carlisle insisted adjusting the flow settings on my still active feeding. "Give yourself another couple hours; the medication should prevent you from being in pain."

I shifted my position again, struggling just to push myself into a more upright position on the bed only to find that the concentrated effort left my head spinning and made the overall weakness much worse. I laid my head back against the pillows, squeezing my eyes shut briefly in an effort to make my immediate surroundings stop moving.

"Easy, just rest," Edward insisted pulling up a chair and sitting down next to me. "We can talk until you feel the need to sleep again. The medication will continue to affect your awareness at least until your body is able to heal enough for you to regain your strength. "

"Let the treatment run its course, fighting it will only further weaken your overall condition." Carlisle adjusted the settings on the equipment controlling the medication that was being infused into my feeding. "Angel, what do you know about this Kale? You seem to be very concerned about his presence and the possibility that he has abducted your daughter." Leave it to Carlisle to be blunt and up front when it came to uncovering the details surrounding situations of grave importance.

"Kale, the Soulless, is a hybrid demon hunter. He has the ability to cross dimensions." I paused, my color draining in response to a sudden spell of dizziness. "He siphons life energy and or souls to continue his own existence." My voice cracked then and my awareness diminished as another wave of lethargy and weakness brought about by the medication temporarily overwhelmed me.

"Angel," Edward called giving me a gentle shake in an effort to revive me. "Easy, calm down." He soothed as Carlisle adjusted the flow of medication, integrating another bag into the stream. "His weakness is rather abnormal." He admitted putting a firm hand on my shoulder as my sudden restless panic attack only seemed to worsen.

"Strong reaction to the medication sequence," Carlisle answered adjusting the sequence again before beginning to further examine my wounds. It was apparent that even he was concerned that my condition had suddenly seemed to worsen considerably. "Relax," He insisted restraining my limbs with padded restraints so that I didn't further injure myself in my fit of semi-consciousness.

"Wound infection would be the only reason that the medication would cause such a sudden- onset reaction." Edward admitted helping Carlisle to reopen the puncture wounds and thoroughly flush the wound tracks with strong antiseptic and saline, "Infection?"

"Yes or so it seems," Carlisle answered surgically removing the infected tissue and closing the wounds this time placing drainage ports so that no infection would remain trapped internally. "Easy Angel," He soothed as I once again began to regain my awareness. He added another bag of medication to the infusion, "Relax and rest, let your body adjust to the medications."

I shook my head and pulled weakly against whatever was holding me still. After what seemed like several hours, my head finally cleared and the spinning dissipated allowing me to once again open my eyes. My gaze drifted to take in my surroundings before once again coming to focus on Edward who was still sitting in the chair next to my bed. "What happened…I mean I was fine and then…" I tried to shift my position only to find myself to lethargic to really move and unable to lift my arms more than a few inches from the mattress.

"You had an abnormal reaction to the medication caused by a wound infection. Now that your wounds have been flushed surgically and the infected tissues removed, your awareness has returned." He answered adjusting the blanket covering my lower body. "Just relax and let the medication work, we'll continue our conversation. Once you're not so lethargic and in and out of semi-consciousness then Carlisle will remove the restraints, for now just rest,"

I managed to nod in response to his encouragement, not feeling well enough to provide him with an argument even though I was in no real pain. "Kale has Angelica." I insisted my awareness beginning to once again flicker slightly. I shook my head, forcing back the sudden urge to sleep. "He will use her to trap us so he can siphon our souls and use them to his will. Buffy and I have to find him and destroy him before…"

"Before what?" I felt a gentle pressure against my shoulder, the shaking that followed once again pulling me out of the beginnings of a restless pseudo-sleep. My gaze once more focused upon Edward whose expression was one of calm confidence in my survival along with apparent concern for my current condition and the situation.

"He harms Angelica by using her to open the portals to the Plane of Souls and or Hell." I finished before blackness overcame me. My muscles relaxed and I felt his hand lift from my shoulder before I drifted into total unconsciousness.

"Let him rest Edward, give the medication a few hours to clear up the residual infection." Carlisle insisted, placing a damp rag across my forehead to try and ease the sweats that had been brought about by the medication as it fought against the infection. He adjusted the flow sequence and examined my wounds once more before they both exited the room.


End file.
